The 49ers will begin a step behind in the race to sign free agent safety Earl Thomas. Richard Sherman, a former teammate of Thomas’ in Seattle, told reporters Wednesday that Thomas will sign with the Cowboys unless the 49ers come over the top with more money.
“If the money’s equal, if all things are equal, he’s going to Dallas,” Sherman told a group of reporters at the NFL combine according to the Sacramento Bee. “Now if that (money is) not the same, there’s more of a discussion, more of a fight. But then it becomes a bidding war. But that’s up to people make more major decisions than I.”
The 49ers enter the offseason with about $65 million in available salary cap space. Dallas has just shy of $50 million according to Over the Cap.
San Francisco will have plenty of cap flexibility to overpay a bit for the 29-year-old, three-time All-Pro. The Cowboys, on the other hand, have a pass rusher to pay in Demarcus Lawrence, along with contract extensions coming up for running back Ezekiel Elliott, quarterback Dak Prescott and wide receiver Amari Cooper.
The good news for the 49ers is that they’re firmly in the mix to add Thomas to their secondary according to Sherman.
“There’s serious interest,” he said. “There’s obviously a clear and easy fit, but financially it has to make sense.”
Thomas played his first nine NFL seasons with the Seahawks, earning six trips to the Pro Bowl in the same defense the 49ers run. San Francisco desperately needs a quality starter at safety, and Thomas is arguably the best free safety in the league.
He racked up 28 interceptions in his nine seasons, and posted three last year despite playing in only four games before a broken leg in Week 4 knocked him out for the season.
The 49ers haven’t been known to take huge swings in free agency in recent years, but adding Thomas makes a ton of sense, and it sounds like it’s going to take an extraordinary offer to get him to Santa Clara next season.
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